Personal information services provide users with effective and convenient ways to communicate with others and to manage their personal information. Users typically engage with personal information services through user interfaces provided by associated personal information applications, such as email applications, calendar applications, and task management applications, as well as combinations and variations thereof. Some representative personal information applications and services include Microsoft® Outlook®, Outlook® Web App (OWA), Hotmail®, Gmail®, and Yahoo® Mail, as well as others.
When engaged with a personal information service, a user may interact with various personal information items via a user interface to the service. Examples of such items include emails, contacts, calendar items, tasks, and the like. In a typical scenario, a user's personal information items are stored in a personal information database, such as a mailbox, that is accessed as the user interacts with the application.
Most personal information applications provide users with a search capability for searching their personal information items, including as a search element in the user interface through which search queries may be entered, as well as various search tools. One example is the automatic suggestion feature that automatically provides query suggestions within a suggestion element as search strings are entered. Such suggestions can include the completion of a partially entered term or even a complex search string that are identified by matching past queries or other information to what is being entered.
In some personal information applications, a variety of data types and data stores can be searched from a single search element, such as document repositories, calendars, contacts, and tasks to be searched through a primary search box that primarily provides a search interface to email. Accordingly, in some cases the auto-suggest feature may also include the ability to suggest documents, scheduled events, contacts, tasks, and other items that match a complete or partial search string as it is entered. Selecting any of the suggested items completes the query and launches a search for the selected item.